With each bright and shiny new year comes the promise of a fresh start. And with the greatest intentions of becoming the best versions of ourselves, we resolve changing the things we know would make our lives happier, healthier, and more meaningful: lose weight; exercise more; quit smoking, swearing or procrastinating; start meditating; and the list goes on and on.

“January 1st, it’s ON!” we declare, and we are UNSTOPPABLE—for a week or so, or maybe even until Valentine’s Day.

But sooner or later, those once-important resolutions are forgotten again until next January. Sigh.

What’s the deal? Do we lack willpower or discipline? Are we inherently flawed?

No. We are amazing! The only potential flaw here is our approach.

Break the cycle by taking these steps and creating goals with sticking power this year!

Celebrate your wins first. Because we make New Year’s resolutions after two months of overindulging—when we feel bloated, lethargic, and generally not our best—our goals are inspired from a place of judgment, guilt, regret, and blame. Break that cycle by first making a list of your wins from the previous year:

What made you feel proud?

Did you take on a challenge that felt scary?

In what ways did you grow?

Stop “should-ing” on yourself.Too often our list of goals is nothing more than a series of what we should want or what others want for us. We won’t likely stick to goals we don’t actually want for ourselves. So instead, ask yourself these questions when setting goals:

Make it real.Practice visualizing how your life would look and how you would feel if you achieved these goals. The more you imagine your achievements being real, the easier it is to bring that vision into your reality.

Create short-term goals.We feel more successful and inspired when our goals are within reach. Get creative by implementing achievable short-term targets along the path to your goals. Some examples include:

Signing up for a race.

Joining a sports league.

Putting a deadline on the calendar.

Enrolling buddies for a competition.

Hiring a health or life coach.

You are the author of your life. What exciting adventures will you live in your story this year?